What Lies Beyond
by Clumsy Owl
Summary: It was just another run outside the walls with the survey corps, or at least that was how it was supposed to be. Now Levi is stuck babysitting a kid, who had somehow gotten lost OUTSIDE the walls? Not only that, but the titans have grown considerably more aggressive. Between repeated threats, annoying comrades and a brat, what little sanity Levi has left could very well be no more
1. Chapter 1

How this story will work: This is story should proceed like most others, however, there will be an annex chapter that will serve to hold all the cliff notes and such. If you plan to review, which I severely hope that you do, I would advise that you not review to the annex chapter, but to the actual update, as it might affect future reviews and confuse me :)

**IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS OF ANY KIND, DO NOT LOOK AT THE ANNEX!**

I have included information within the annex that should probably not be there until later, but to make it easier for me, I have kept it as I originally wrote it to avoid any confusion, and therefore, hopefully avoid discontinuity errors.

Disclaimer: Attack on Titan, nor any story from which I base my fictions on, does not belong to me. I only own the plot and whatever OCs may be included, however heavily influenced by the original work.

* * *

His breaths came out in short, visible puffs as the autumn breeze sifted through his hair and tugged gently at his scarf. He stood atop a small boulder, which to his young frame seemed anything but small. Beneath him, three children sat, one of whom was taking a short nap, his arms folded over his chest, another of whom was keeping an eye on the boy on the rock to be sure he wouldn't slip and hurt himself, and the third of whom was carefully carving a stick to resemble a tiny pike. The boy could not have been more content than at that moment, because that moment had been peaceful.

"What will happen when I die?" the boy wondered in his usual curious manner, the question directed at no one in particular.

"The same thing that will happen to your parents, and to us and ours." The immediate reply came from the only girl, her stick almost sharpened to that perfect point. She paused in her work to inspect it, lightly tapping the tip to her index finger, then continued whittling.

"What do you mean? My parents can't die." The thought of his parents dead didn't seem possible. His mother was too much a part of his life to be gone, and his father too knowing. There was simply no way.

"Why not?" The boy watching him asked, his dark hair cover by a gray cap. "Why can you die, but not them? Are you not the same?"

"We are," the boy on the rock started, his words slow to roll off his tongue. "But we aren't. Mother and Father can't die before me, because what would I do without them?"

"Live." The single word came from the blond boy, whose nap was being temporarily suspended. The boy thought about this for a moment, as the rustle of dead leaves disturbed by the wind sounded in the air. Life without Mother, her light laughter illuminating his world, life without Father, what a dreary and dead existence that would be.

"Come on, kid," the girl said after several seconds had passed. She got to her feet and gestured for the boy to get off the boulder. He did so by jumping off the side, into the waiting arms of the one who was supervising.

"Do we have to do this now?" he complained, a childish pout on his young face. The girl gave no reply, but dropped into position, her now perfectly pointed stick raised to strike or defend. The boy sighed but moved into a counter stance, his arms raised to defend and strike when needed.

Without warning, she came at the boy, her movements swift as she ducked his defenses and aimed her stake like a knife to his stomach. The boy stepped back and to his left, twisting to allow the weapon to merely graze his sweater, and brought his elbow down to strike at her wrist. She predicted this and simply shifted her grip and her jerked her arm to her right, landing a blow on the boy's unprotected ribs. He yelped but did not falter. Instead, he dropped and moved closer, delivering a push with his shoulder that was meant to knock the girl off balance. He succeeded, but as she stumbled, she grabbed hold of his collar and brought him to the ground and cushioned her fall. Now she was on top, stick angled down to strike his throat or his eyes-the boy could not tell which. It didn't matter, because just as the point started to come down on him, a call was sounded.

"Stop!" The stick halted in its deadly descent, both pairs of eyes looking to the blond boy, who had called it. "She won this match."

"Again," the girl ordered. She got off the boy and returned to her starting position. The boy did as instructed, fumbling to his feet and dropping to his own stance.

This back and forth brawling went on for several hours. Every so often, it looked like victory might be stolen from the girl, but every time she pulled out the perfect counter. By the end of it, the boy was far more bruised and battered than the girl, but smiling as he remembered that he had been able to land several good blows on her as well. He was getting better.

"We should head back," said the blond boy. His nap had resumed halfway through the third round, and had ended once the second to last had begun. He rose and stretched, feeling and hearing his back crack in several places and smiling at the feeling.

"I agree. The sun is about to go down." The dark haired boy who spoke gathered his and the boy's sweaters from where they had been thrown at some point in the day, and brushed off the dead leaves and dirt.

It was the blond boy who led them out of the forest, moving at a jogging pace that was almost fast enough to be called a run. The kid did not have the trouble he had at the beginning, where it was tough to keep up for even a few minutes. Now, he kept pace with the group's strides and ended the journey with only a small cramp in his side and heavy breathing.

They had made it to a clearing, almost big enough to be called the end of the forest, but not quite. It was here that the four children lived, their homes close together in a small village. After emerging from the tree line, they parted ways, sending each other well wishes and shouts of jumbled plans for tomorrow's daily adventure.

The boy walked into his home, a small wooden building with three rooms: a kitchen, a bedroom, and a storage room. His mother and father were sitting at the table in the kitchen when he entered, neither happy.

"Stripling," his father said, using the derogatory term to help express the danger of the situation. "Do you have any idea how late it is?" The boy did not respond. He hung his head in the hope that his father will forgive him this once.

"Grisha," his mother warned. His father's look did not waver but the boy knew Grisha had heard her.

"Look outside and tell me, is NOW an acceptable time to come home, or was an hour ago? What would you have done if you had collapsed? Huh? Do you realise the situation you could have been in? Those friends of yours are no good for you, but I allow you to loiter with them because we know you have nothing else to do in this forsaken place. If I–"

"Grisha!" Carla's voice cut through his father's rant like a knife and he fell silent. "He is safe now, is that not what matters? Do not go blaming those children anymore for this, and just be happy they are all safe."

"Be happy that they are so careless? We should never have entrusted our son to them! They are no older, no wiser than he, and we all know how stupid he is!"

"Grisha Jaeger!" Carla shrilled. The two parents glared at each other, both knowing who was in the wrong but neither giving voice. The boy stood there, not entirely sure what to make of this. He was terrified. His father had yelled at him before, they both had, but never was his friends, his sole company during the long hours of the day, brought into the issue. They were his brothers, his sister, as much a part of his family as his own parents and the thought of them being slighted was infuriating. His father had no right to say such things but what could he, a child with no real consequence, do about it? He could only be grateful to his mother for at least trying to keep his comments hushed up, or at least quieter so the neighbors wouldn't hear.

"Carla, you know he pulls this stunt every time he leaves with those three. I am surprised their own parents have yet to beat some sense into their hides for having such disregard for their own and each others' safety. You know it, and I know it, that this boy will do it again and again if he does not learn the importance of coming home _before _sundown."

"How other parents discipline their children is none of our concern. What matters is that they have always brought our son home safe and sound–"

"_Safe and sound?_ Carla, do you not see the state of his clothes at the end of the day? He comes back with cuts and bruises and dirt in every fold of his scarf. And have you seen the way he is always–"

The boy had heard enough. In a moment of impulse, he ran into the storage room without the notice of his arguing parents, and snatched a short metallic knife from a lower shelf before bursting out of the house once more. The darkness outside did nothing to deter his decision as he sprinted forth into the forest.

He did not know how long he ran, nor how far. He looked about in the darkness only to find that he could not tell where he was, or from which direction he came. Shivering, he pulled his scarf over his nose and mouth and huddled in the contours of a nearby tree. He scolded himself for not running to the home of one of his friends, but decided not to dwell too long on that mistake. He would find his path back in the morning, when his parents had stopped fighting and there was light to guide him back.

The darkness sucked the energy from his limbs, and his thoughts became sluggish. His eyelids drooped, heavy under the weight of the shadow that covered the land. Tonight, he would sleep with the sounds of the wind in the leaves and the call of the owls in the air. Tomorrow, he told himself, tomorrow will be better for all.

* * *

Darkness hides monsters, but the comfort in that is one could never be sure if they are there, lurking just around the bend, or staring its next victim down. One could always convince themselves that such beings do not exist or are not around. Once the light comes into play, the horror becomes real.

It was well before noon when the boy made it back to the village. The trees were still casting long shadows and his thin shoes were wet with dew. It all seemed so quiet, as if the whole village had been sound asleep despite the rising sun. That was, at least, what he told himself as he fought down the feeling that something was not quite right. Usually, so early in the day this time of year, he would hear the harsh sound of splitting wood as it was being chopped, or at the very least the general ruckus of people preparing for the day ahead. Today, there was just silence.

He made his way toward his house, the pit in his stomach growing with the increasing nearness. Unconsciously, he tried to keep his own steps quiet, but the rustle of the leaves was unavoidable and he flinched. In the distance, wings flapped and he jumped. When he whirled around, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. He breathed deeply to steady his racing heart and continued his uncertain march.

His door was shut. The wooden entrance was more ominous than the run down gravediggers' shack at the north end of the village. He tried the handle, only to find it locked from the inside. Frowning, but slightly relieved, he walked around to the back entrance. That door was also locked from the inside. Again, relief flooded him. If it was locked from the inside, his parents must only be sleeping, and he only had to make noise to wake them up, or wait it out.

Deciding he had had enough of waiting, the boy opened his mouth to shout, only to have his breath stop short in his throat. He had not bothered to look through a window, but the sight of something on the glass caught his eye. The relief that had made him feel so full left him and a deep set chill took over. He inched closer to inspect the panes.

At first, nothing about the scene registered. His nose picked up the coppery scent, and his eyes saw the almost black substance on the inside of the glass and the fingerprints on the sill, but none of that computed. The candle that had been burning on the kitchen table when he had burst out of the house only the night before had left nothing in its absence but tiny dots of wax. He fingered the knife in his pocket, the cool metal handle against fingertips offered a little comfort. He had to get out of there. He had to find someone.

The idea to check the other houses occurred briefly in his mind, but the near absolute silence told him he would find no better results, no matter where he looked in the clearing. His ears sang, and before he knew what was going on, he was flying past trees, his feet barely hitting the ground as he sprinted in the opposite direction he had last night. When he could go no further, he collapsed and heaved, his empty stomach producing nothing but small amounts of fluid as he vomited. His sight blurred, but no tears fell. He untangled his scarf from his neck and threw it on the ground to help cool off his feverish neck and head, but it did little good.

Once the heaving finally stopped, the boy picked up his scarf and stumbled toward a small cavern beneath a set of tree roots, just big enough for him to fit under. It was there that he curled up and waited for some strength to return to his limbs so he might continue. If he was right, the direction in which he was already going would lead him to a neighboring village. They never did have good relations with that lot, but perhaps if he explained what had happened they might at least provide him with some place to sleep for a night or so. Maybe even a meal.

An hour or two passed before the boy could rise again without falling over. He concentrated on stretching each muscle in his legs before turning his full attention to placing one foot in front of the other as he continued on at a brisk jog. Every so often, he would find a salal bush and pick a few berries, swallowing as many as his stomach could handle before moving on.

When at last he made it to a clearing, he realized a flaw in his plan, if it could even be called that. The clearing was the true edge of the forest, the trees having thinned out until no more erupted from the ground. There was nothing in the open expanse but grass and rocks; neither the village he was looking for nor a single soul could be seen as far as the horizon would show. The sun had reached its peak several hours ago, and was inching its way to where the sky and the land were separated. The boy borrowed a word from his female friend's father as he cursed his luck and whatever invisible force was determined to break him.

Beneath him, his legs began to quake, as did his hands. Exhaustion hit him hard and he collapsed into the tall grass of the clearing. It itched, but he could not find the strength to get up. He gasped as the sharp pains of a cramp drove at his calf. Biting back a cry, he focused on breathing through his nose as he slowly forced himself to stretch again. Slowly, the pain began to fade and his breathing returned to normal, but the shaking in his body had yet to stop. He gently tugged his sweater closer to his body and rewrapped his scarf so it covered his head as well as his neck. It was like that that he fell asleep, the last rays of sunlight peeking over the edge of the horizon as night once again fell over the land.

* * *

_Dearest reader,_

_Hey all. How are you doing? I hope this chapter was not too confusing, and that at least some of you enjoyed it. I am aware that I have only dropped 2 names, but I hope the descriptions of each character told you who they were. As to why I did not name them, well, I–uh–had a really cute idea for some fluffy moments later on and I am really excited for them. If you are confused, feel free to leave a review or pm me any questions and I shall get back to you as soon as I can._

_Thank you for reading :)_

_Until next time,_

_~Clumsy Owl_


	2. Chapter 2

A little author's note before we begin: I am sorry to say that there are some original characters...To be honest, it wouldn't be easy to avoid them and still move the plot the way I want. They are _SIDE CHARACTERS._ Their descriptions and such are in the **Annex** under **OCs**.

German words are used...they are all swear words, but if you want to know the translation, they are also in the **Annex **under **German words used.**

Disclaimer: Didn't I already cover this in Chapter 1? Please! Don't make me say it again! It hurts!

Let's begin, shall we?...

* * *

Levi peered down from the open window, his eyes trained on the four men conversing below. He did not try to eavesdrop, but curiosity was tickling his mind, reminding him that if he just leaned forward, he would easily be able to pick up what was being said. He could tell by the crease between his brows that Erwin was unhappy about whatever it was they were discussing. The other three were unreadable. However, Mike's expressionless gaze suggested discontent, but Levi had yet to meet the man, so it was a toss-up. The other two men had their backs turned to him, the uniforms of the Military Police and the Garrison disguising their body language.

The teenager sighed, bored. Erwin had dragged him into this place, told him to stay, as though he were some kind of rowdy pup, and then left him alone to twiddle his thumbs. He had run out of things to do, unless he wanted to clean the room…again. Exactly what did that prick expect from him?

Bored and irritated, Levi disobeyed the first order given to him by his new commanding officer; he left the room. His boots clicked softly across the floor as he followed his nose to what he assumed to be the mess hall. Supper had yet to begin, but the savory scent of the food permeated the air. It was unfortunate that Levi would have to board up the hall to prevent anyone from coming in as he deep cleaned the dusty tables, greasy benches and dirt-ridden floor. He had no idea how no one had died yet from disease of suffocation by dust.

Squaring his shoulders to brace himself for the amount of work he had just placed upon his own shoulders, Levi set out to search for the supply closet. Instinct allowed him to find it in no time, flat. He grabbed everything he needed and marched back to the mess hall. He immediately took a bench and shoved it against the door. The sound of scraping alerted some to what he was doing, but Levi knew that the bench wouldn't budge until he was ready to remove it. Satisfied, he started to work.

Supper was ready an hour before Levi considered his work finished. His arms ached from the amount of scrubbing that was required to get the floor clean, but now he could eat his meal with the comfort of a mildew-free room. The chefs in the kitchen had assured him that the dishes had been cleaned thoroughly after every meal, and even thanked him for doing the chore most other soldiers chose to neglect. Unfortunately for him, his fellow soldiers did not share that gratitude.

"Freak." Levi's ears picked up the word from the quiet hum of constant chatter in the mess hall as the other soldiers murmured to each other and ate their meals. His constant scowl deepened, but other than that he chose not to acknowledge it.

"Why did we have to wait just so _he_ could satisfy himself? Why couldn't he just eat outside?"

"_Kleingewachsen mensch_."

"That asshole had us listening to our growling stomachs for a whole hour after we were supposed to have our food."

"Who does he think he is?"

"_Scheißkerl_."

"Hi!" The loud and cheery voice cut through the mutterings surrounding him and drew Levi's attention to the woman who had just plopped down across from him. She was smiling at him, but Levi merely looked back down at his food, not really eating, but trying to seem as though he was.

"My, aren't you Mister Chatty? Is it okay if I sit here? I guess it doesn't really matter, since: hey look! I'm already here! How about that? I just wanted to talk, really. So it's true you're the new recruit? The 'up'n'coming' star of the recon corps'? Well, obviously. I mean, I know just about everyone here, and yours is the only new face, so who else could you be? What made you say yes to Erwin?" The woman leaned forward.

"Was it the bushy eyebrows? I knew it. It's always the eyebrows. I swear that man has some sort of superpower. Like, I wonder if he waxed them, would he lose his ability to command everyone? I mean he has to get that skill from somewhere, right? It has to be the eyebrows. No other explanation. Okay, perhaps his oh-so-manly 'you'll do what I say no matter what because even if you say no, I'll manipulate you so you do it anyway' attitude could have come into play. Oh!" She suddenly sat up.

"I don't suppose you heard what he was talking about with Nile, Mike and Pixis, did you? I was in the middle of an experiment, so I couldn't go say hi, and none of my kiddies were able to get close enough, but Erwin set you in the room right above where they were standing, so surely you heard something, yes? No? Pity. I guess I'll just bother Mike later. Speaking of which, has anyone given you the grand tour yet? Erwin should have done that when you first arrived, or gotten someone else to do it, but I assume he just plopped you in a room and left. That's exactly what he did, isn't it? Yup. I knew it." She then tilted her head a bit to the left, as though thinking.

"How long were you in there before you finally left? Probably not long. Or maybe you lasted a lot longer than most others would have. I peeked in there earlier, and man, that room is spotless! I don't remember it ever being so clean! 'Course, I haven't been here very long, but still. You must have spent hours in there! Actually, no. Judging by how messy that room was and how dirty the mess used to be, and how fast you made this place all sparkly, I'm guessing closer to thirty-five to forty minutes. Am I right?"

Levi blinked. Did she even breathe once during that rant? He doubted it. He was able to follow her words, but even if he wanted to answer one of her questions, she left no room for him to cut in. Irritation bordered on amusement as he saw her expectant stare.

"About." Apparently, that was all he needed to say, because like a bridge over a river, his answer allowed the woman to hop from one topic to the next in a barely intelligible pace.

Levi noticed the angry muttering had all but stopped. He also noted that Erwin, the only person he knew here, was missing from the mess hall. It wasn't that Levi needed him there, only that it would have been nice if he, as this woman had said, at least showed him around or gotten someone else to do so before he left him alone, bored and with nothing to do.

"_Arschloch_." The murmur from across the room seemed slip past the woman's torrent to reach not only Levi's, but her ears as well. Her rant stopped mid sentence as she froze, her smile growing brighter but more terrifying as she slowly turned toward the unlucky speaker.

"I'm sorry," she said in her still cheerful voice. "Come again?"

The soldier, a man a year or two older than the average age of his comrades, fidgeted under her gaze.

"Excuse me, Hanji, but I wasn't talking about you." Hanji's eyes grew hard.

"Then who?" The soldier's eyes flickered to Levi, then back to Hanji. He did not answer. "I asked you a question."

"I don't see how it concerns you, _sir_."

"You don't see—? Be a grown-up man and own up to your actions! No. Better yet, be _human_ and take responsibility. Look around you, Hal. These are your comrades. We just burned several of us yesterday, and lost even more. These are the people who will have your back and expect you to have theirs. Do you really believe that calling them an 'asshole' is really going to help them put their faith in you?" The man, Hal's, eyes narrowed at her translation of the old language. "Yes, I understand what you said. Choosing to speak in that old language does not mean others won't be able to, either. That goes for all of you. You need to grow up and not only take responsibility, but also learn how to instill trust within your fellow soldiers.

"And to all you other whining babies, look around you. See what you all are grumbling about? You are cranky because this man," she pointed at Levi, "decided to do the job _every last one of us_ has been avoiding. Now I don't have to eat outside to avoid death by 'slimy gross stuff', as Clemens put it. I bet Mike and Erwin will also be joining us again, because Levi decided to pick up _your_ slack. Be grateful, rather than spiteful, you pathetic bunch of ingrates."

Hanji turned back around to face Levi's unreadable expression and smiled as if she hadn't just chewed someone out.

"Whenever you're done eating, we'll go find the commander and yell at him, too."

* * *

(A few weeks later)

Levi woke up to pounding on his door in the early morning. He rose from his bed just as Hanji burst in, smiling and bouncing about as though the predawn light wasn't the only source of whatever level of visibility there was.

"Rise and shine, little Levi!" she sang, ignoring the heated glare directed at her from the nickname. "It's time to start the day. Let's go!" The woman grabbed Levi's arm and yanked him along as she turned and left the room as quickly as she had entered.

The teenager, though he couldn't care less what the other soldiers thought of him, thanked the fact that he refused to sleep in anything less than decent attire. He cringed at the feeling of his bare feet against the icy stone floors, but he was still able to hold onto some dignity as he and Hanji ran past their comrades on their way to breakfast, only slowing once they reached the mess hall. The vice squad leader released his arm to push open the doors, but grabbed it again to drag him to the table where Erwin, Mike and Clemens were already sitting. Levi took a seat a little ways away from the rest, but Hanji sat directly between him and the nearest person, Mike, making it seem as though Levi had only made space for her, versus trying to distance himself. Erwin smiled at him and asked how he was.

"Fine." Levi kept his reply curt, but Erwin didn't seem to mind. He nodded.

"Are you ready for your first expedition?" Levi scowled.

"How could anybody be ready to die when they weren't even allowed a proper rest?" Clemens started to answer, but his second cut in before he could.

"But, Levi, you went to your rooms early last night," Hanji said as she smiled mischievously. "What were you doing that you weren't allowed any sleep?"

"Hn." Levi looked away and down at the small plate of food someone had just placed before him. The roll looked edible, if a bit stale, but that could be cured by use of the pot of honey, and the bits of fruit were washed and unblemished.

"I see, I see," Hanji nodded to herself with a rare serious expression. "So you were scrubbing your underwear, again."

Mike choked. Then he laughed. He and Hanji of them seemed to make it their personal goal to poke fun at Levi's habits every day, each trading comments and smart remarks. This morning's comment was weak, they all had to admit, but it did its job in lightening up the mood. Even Clemens, the most mild of all those seated at the table, had to swallow his smile to throw a bit of his breakfast at Hanji.

"It beats living in a mess of my own filth day in and day out," Levi muttered so no one could hear.

The rest of the breakfast passed by with the same sense of routine as any other day. Erwin ate quietly, sometimes asking a question here or there, while Mike, Hanji and Clemens told stories of past misdeeds. Levi listened in, but refrained from adding his own anecdotes, much like every other morning since he had arrived.

It wasn't hard to tell who was nervous about the expedition scheduled for today. While the four ranked officers and Levi treated the morning like every other, the other soldiers and officers were not so indifferent. A few, the seasoned soldiers, ate their meal with a grim determination, either trying to enjoy the honey and bread, or simply trying to keep it down. Several were talking among themselves in hushed tones, talking rumors or exchanging pieces of gossip that most likely will not matter by the time they enter these walls again, assuming they return. And then there were the loud folk who, no matter what the occasion was, seemed to only get louder and more desperate as they seemed to want only to distract themselves from the reality that this could very well be the last meal they have together.

Soon enough, breakfast was over and it was time to prepare for the expedition. Levi walked to his room to change and put his maneuver gear on, while the rest stayed at the table to talk over the finer points of the strategy. He got dressed in an efficient manner, only having to pause when one of the buckles on his gear refused to latch, and then again for when he discovered a twisted strap after he had buckled it in place.

The morning sun rose to a high enough point in the sky for the rest of the world to even start to consider the day's beginning. The Survey Corps in its entirety waited outside with their individual horses for their commander to finish making certain every soldier had their flares and blades, plenty of gas and refills, their groomed and outfitted, and their instructions understood.

Levi was among them, his horse snorting and stamping the ground, ready to take off running and never stop. His rider couldn't agree more. The past few weeks with the Survey Corps had been boring and uneventful. He had gotten tired of being stuck in the headquarters, passing the days by doing nothing but cleaning what hadn't been touched in months, years maybe, or by getting used to riding Peppermint, a palomino stallion with a surprisingly self-righteous attitude. With all the time he has been spending within the small property sanctioned to this section of the military, it was a small wonder that the teenager was able to keep from shoving a mop up Erwin's ass and disappearing into one of the inner walls.

A small commotion rose from a little ways behind Levi, as one of the horses broke out into a full on run, leading several other horses. Peppermint snorted and tossed his head; Levi allowed himself to inwardly smile. His stallion would not stoop so low as to delay the real adventure by settling for a tiny jaunt like those idiot quadrupeds. Though he couldn't see her, Levi could hear Hanji laughing shamelessly at the soldiers hopelessly scrambling to recapture the beasts.

It took the upper end of two hours to rally the horses back and be sure everything else was in order. Once that was done, Erwin ordered everyone to mount up and ride out.

They were to exit Wall Maria through the Shiganshina District and continue straight on through for no more than four hours, avoiding as many titans as possible to avoid too many casualties.

"Any longer would be dangerous," Mike had once explained, "as horses were not able to see as well in the dark and that would be a problem when titans spotted them." Levi saw the wisdom in the plan, but if they avoided the titans, then there shouldn't be as many deaths as there have been. Hanji was the one to point out that titans were not entirely predictable and could not always be avoided. In the flat terrain outside the walls, it's a small wonder why they become easy pickings once a Deviant titan comes into play.

"Like plucking grapes off a vine," she had said.

Their procession was slow through the streets of Shiganshina. It seemed as though the entire district had no understanding of the terms 'move' or 'make way'. Some tried to call out to the soldiers as their rode by, but their words were lost in the wind or blanketed by others with the same idea. In many ways, Levi thought the entire thing insensitive, as though these people were celebrating their inevitable deaths as they walked toward their would-be executioners. It was at times like this where his hatred for people grew.

"Hey, what's up with the scowl? I mean, you always have that grumpy scowl, but now it's deeper than usual," Hanji asked. When had she come up beside him?

"Hn," Levi grumbled, tired of her company already.

"Aw, don't be like that! Hey! Do you think we'll see a 15 meter class today? Or maybe we'll see bigger? I mean, just because no one has seen any taller titans and lived to tell about it doesn't mean they don't exist. Wouldn't it be cool to see a 20 meter? Or a 30 meter? Who's to say they can't get to be bigger? That would be terrifying, but I mean, it is kind of strange how they are only within a specified height range, don't you think? That can't be all there is. Do you think maybe one day, we'll find a titan house? I can only imagine how huge that would be! My father used to read me this REALLY old tale where there was a giant––not a titan giant, though he ate people, too––who lived in a castle in the clouds and had a golden goose, and a boy named Jack had to–"

"Hanji."

"–climb up there with a magical beanstalk that was somehow strong and tall enough to allow him to do all that, and–"

"Hanji."

"–well, I forget most of what happened, but anyway, what I was saying was–"

"Hanji!"

"–that maybe their houses will be like the giant's castle and–"

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, WOMAN!"

"Hey! Look at that! You do speak words!" Hanji's face threatened to split in half from the grin plastered all over it. Levi knew her goal was to get him to react in some way, and she sometimes succeeded. That still did not stop him from wanting to smack her hard over the head every time she opened her mouth. Levi took a deep breath to calm himself from his minor outburst before addressing her again.

"Shouldn't you be with your squad?"

Hanji shrugged and straightened herself in her saddle.

"Nah, I'll be riding with you, along with Baner. Clemens, Hal and the others will also be spread out in the formation. That way, even if one side of the formation gets attacked, not everyone with our squad's _special_ _skills_ will be taken out."

He hummed, irritated, his mind still stuck on the fact that for the next eight hours, they'll be riding together. He then mumbled, "Titans take me now," under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Don't worry about it." Hanji hummed, suspicious but didn't question him further. Before them, the horses had come to a halt as the soldiers up front waited for the gate to rise and release them out into the world.

"Are you ready for this?" the vice squad leader asked, leaning forward to watch the gate bearing the crest of Wall Maria rise.

"I don't have a choice, now do I?"

"Nope. Let's go!" And with that, the entire procession began to spill out of the gate into the open plains of Wall Maria's surrounding terrain.

Levi did not know what he had been expecting. As the horses flew out of the gates and their riders directed them to their positions, Levi took the opportunity to look around. The rolling grass hills and sparse trees were not like his mental pictures when he thought of the 'outside.' Weren't there supposed to be ruins of a past civilization somewhere? What happened before the walls rose? And what about after? Obviously, titans came and kept coming, but if the world was inhabited by the human race before the titans, where was the evidence?

"Yo, shorty!" Hanji called, knowing it would get Levi's attention. He scowled at her. She merely grinned excitedly and pointed. In the distance, he could see a forest and more grassy hills, but nothing out of the ordinary.

He frowned. There had to be something she was pointing at. She wouldn't have pointed if there were nothing to see. He squinted and understood what she was referring to.

Coming from the forest was a large figure, a titan. Its giant naked body clumsily navigated its way out of the trees. That was all well and good, but what Levi would have expected and what he was seeing were two opposite ends of the same stick. Where the titan was anywhere from eight to fourteen meters tall, judging from the body proportions, the trees stood taller. Much, much taller. Levi's eyebrows shot up in surprise before he forced them back down, but it was too late. Hanji saw it.

"Amazing, isn't it?" she called as she reached for her flare gun. "That's apparently what happens when you leave entire forests untouched for a century, or two! It kind of makes you wonder what the world was like back then, yeah?"

For once, Levi had to agree. Before the walls were built, what was life like? What would it have been like to live in a world so overrun by people, but also so free and spread out that if one wanted, he could easily travel to a place where he was unknown and start fresh? He was cut off from his musings by the sounds of Hanji's red flare followed by several others shooting skyward. Then, the entire formation began to turn as one, and they rode away from the titan and the forest with the colossal trees.

The next two hours of riding was rather anticlimactic, in the eyes of Levi. They had had a few near encounters with the titans, but none attacked and they steered clear of any groups. Peppermint trotted on tirelessly, the rhythmic beating of his hooves against the grassy terrain keeping time with his breathing. It was amazing, this sense of freedom.

But Levi knew that there was also danger. The euphoric feeling of not being surrounded by solid walls did not overshadow the fact that this tactic was not 100 percent. Clemens had told him the story of the last expedition, and how they had lost enough soldiers to make up an entire platoon, and came back with almost as many bodies.

"That's what happens when an Abnormal takes interest," Clemens had explained. "They aren't predictable, like most other titans are, and they do a lot of damage if they aren't taken out quickly."

Hanji had gushed about how she wished she could have at least seen the thing, but she had been on the opposite flank of the formation. Clemens had tugged her ponytail and reprimanded her for her lack of sensitivity for the dead, but his tone was not harsh. Levi suspected that he, too, wished the same, but said nothing. He only rolled his eyes, thinking how that entire squad was an odd, suicidal bunch.

Another flare signal scratched the sky, red smoke billowing out from its path. A titan had been spotted on the Eastern flank. Shortly after, a green flare streaked upward and to the west, instructing all soldiers to turn the direction of the formation slightly in that direction. Levi did so, ignoring Hanji's disappointed exclamation and Baner's reply. Instead, he focused on the ever-approaching forest of trees that towered over even the titans. Up close, Levi could only be more amazed by their sheer size, captivated to the point where he _almost_ failed to notice the form eyeing him and his team from within the thick shadows.

The titan was easily 11 meters tall, his eyes emotionless as he sat and stared at the approaching horsemen. Even when Levi shot off a red flare, he did not do so much as stir. It wasn't until he glanced at the titans hand did he discover the source of the seeming disinterest.

His palm hung over the ground, fingers curled downward in a grotesque formation, like spider legs. Levi's eyes narrowed to see what the titan had captured. At first, he saw nothing. But then he glimpsed the figure, minuscule beneath the monster's hand. Levi's eyes widened at the appearance of a_ child,_ several years younger than himself, imprisoned _outside _the walls by a titan.

Confusion and disbelief coursed through him, before one right after the other, Levi shot off a black flare, signaling the deviant titan, and a purple flare. It was the best way he knew to let the rest of the Survey Corps know of the child's presence.

Hanji immediately steered her horse to ride alongside Levi, who nodded to the titan. It didn't take long for her to notice what he had. She didn't hesitate and started riding in the opposite direction of the titan. Aiming her gun at the closest group of soldiers, she fired a purple flare, barely missing the head of one, while Baner rode up to Levi to start talking strategy.

"How many titans do you think there in those trees?" he asked, his voice strained as he attempted to hide his panic.

"I think just the one, but there could be more hiding in there," Levi mused.

"So should we just leave the kid, or–" Baner's words faded as Levi glowered at him. "Okay, so we are definitely going to get him. How?"

Hanji returned with three soldiers: one looked angry while the other two serious. She answered, "We'll charge from four sides, using the trees as a way to gain altitude, and take him down. If we only manage distract him so he releases the kid, one of the remaining two will grab him while the other covers. Either way, we'll get him out."

"How the hell did a kid get this far out from the walls? And why isn't he dead?" one of the recruits demanded.

"What if there are more of those naked monstrosities?" queried another.

"There's no time to think about that now. Let's deal with this problem first. Now, Levi, since you're new and have one of the fastest horses, we'll have you on the ground with Edda. Moblit, Simon, Kurt and I will strike. Simon, you go from the East, Kurt from the West. Baner, you sneak around and come at him from behind. I'll attack face on. If there are more titans, try to go without them noticing. If they do notice, get out of there and signal us with blue. Good luck to you all. Now let's move it!"

Hanji finished her instructions and turned her horse to the titan, drawing her blades. The other three attackers followed suit and spurred their horses into a breakneck speed, each going far to the side before circling back to attack from their assigned corners. Levi and Edda waited for Hanji to shoot a green flare and all four to start in on the Deviant before each spurring their horses into a gallop.

* * *

_Dearest reader,_

_Hello! How are you doing? Anything new and/or exciting happen in your life? You don't have to answer that..._

_Thank you for reading this far into my story! Like last time, I hope this wasn't too confusing. I know my style of writing isn't the easiest to read, for various reasons. Haha...yeah. Sorry...I also really hope that all the OCs didn't turn all of you away. Remember that this is SnK, so you won't have to put up with them for too long :(_

_I am SUPER excited for this next chapter! UNFORTUNATELY, I am a student with exams coming up. I am lucky I was able to get this out within a month of the last chapter._

_As a matter of fact, if you enjoyed this fic, you should all really thank my BETA (who has asked to remain unnamed, but I'll pass it on), who literally sat in my room and made me focus, and then edited._

_Please, by all means, feel free to leave a review or drop me a pm if you think something needs clarification, or if you just feel like telling me what you think. Hey! Even if you just want someone to talk to, go right ahead. Either way, I'll try my darnedest to get back to you as soon as I can._

_Thank you for reading! :)_

_Until next time,_

_~Clumsy Owl_

_**A very special thank you to all who REVIEWED, FAVORITED, and/or FOLLOWED! It really means a lot to me!  
**_

Not so human: It's good to hear you're doing well :D As to who killed them...well, that will just have to wait. Sorry ^^ I hope this chapter didn't disappoint.

Pink Blood: I am so sorry for making you wait a whole month! I do plan to see this one through for a looooong while. :) I hope it remains in your good favor.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Originally, there was no A/N here, but I feel like a MAJOR apology is needed. This was SUPPOSED to be updated last week, but it seems the dumbass in me said we were going to NOT actually update the story on the 11th... THANK YOU to the one who kindly informed me that I had not updated... (I'm sorry!)

* * *

The boy blinked and squinted up at the sky, it was colored a myriad of blues and yellows from the rising sun. He sat up, stretched and observed his surroundings before he frowned, confused. Why was he in a meadow? How did he get there? Where was the forest he came from? There it was: behind him. Where was his mother? His father?

Like water from a stalactite in an old cave, memories trickled back to him: the image of the blood smeared across the window, the almost black fingerprints against the wood of the sill, the foul scent of something metallic. They resurfaced in his mind like lanterns in fog, slowly walking to the center of his attention, unforgiving and relentless in their approach.

The boy turned over and propped himself up on his hands and knees as he heaved, panting and choking as he sobbed. Grief had not made itself known to him before, but now it was suffocating. He didn't know what to do. His mother and father were _gone_. His world was entirely demolished by their absence. He didn't even get to say good-bye.

Questions poured through his mind in a waterfall of misery. How was he going to live? Who would be waiting at the door for him to come home? Who would sing him to sleep when his nightmares held him fast in the shadows of his fears? Where were his friends?

That last question caused his head to snap up, as though they might be standing just a little ways off, waiting for him like they always had. After a fruitless search, the boy continued to crumble.

They weren't there. He didn't even know if they were alive. The entire village had held the silence and the heaviness of death, an atmosphere he had not recognized until the fates of his parents were made clear.

The child cried until tears no longer flowed and his throat was raw from the sobs that seemed to rip his emotions out of him like the teeth of a wolf. He cried until his head felt as though it would either collapse in on itself or explode from the immense pressure of grief that stretched on endlessly and consumed him whole. He cried, and cried, and cried until the wails petered to whimpers, which then weakened to sniffs, and finally to nothing.

His whole body felt numb. Numb and cold even as the day's too-bright sun beat down on him with the warmth and happiness he used to relish. Even as the tall grass whipped against his face in the cool, gentle breeze that dried his tear streaked face while it tugged playfully at his hair and at his scarf. His hands were clenched in fists that grasped at nothing but were white from the latent effort to just hold on.

It wasn't until an old voice called out to him from a little ways off that he noticed he was no longer alone. His head whipped around to face the older man walking toward him. The boy rubbed his swollen eyes to clear them of the lingering tears, and scrubbed at his puffy cheeks to rid them of the remnants of the rivers that flowed. Once the elder was near enough, he called out again.

"Hello." His greeting was croaky, but it held a music to it that was gentle and warm. "Are you lost out here, young one?"

He crouched down with his elbows resting on his knees in front of the boy, not too close, but not all that far away. For a while, the boy didn't answer, untrusting. He studied the elder, his brown and silver streaked hair that floated in with every gust, the twig and vine basket strapped to his back, the wrinkles and laugh lines adorning his face. The boy didn't sense anything particularly dangerous about this person, so he responded with a tentative nod.

"I assumed. There aren't any settlements near here, and you are all too small to be out and about on your own. Where are you from? Do you have a name?"

"I-" the boy tried, but erupted into a coughing fit. His throat was still raw. "I-my home-it's…." Before he could go on, he was stopped by another fit and a painful headache. He clutched at his hair and pulled, trying to lessen the pain by gaining a new one. It did not work.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" The elder reached out to the boy, lightly grabbing his wrists and forcing him to let go before he did any damage. "Tell me, child."

"My-my head…" the boy whimpered.

"You look as though you've been crying for quite some time. You're most likely dehydrated. Here, I have some water. You should drink." He procured a metal container and pressed it into the boy's hands. "Take it. It'll make your headache go away and give that voice of yours voice back."

The child took the water and downed it. The cool liquid soothed his throat, but not entirely, and his head stopped its throbbing. He gave a weak smile of thanks.

"Better?" The boy nodded. The elder took his bottle back, and unstrapped his basket to lay beside him. The lid bounced a bit, sliding over the top to make a crescent window to see into the basket. The boy immediately recognized the plants inside as wild rose, purslane, garlic and plantain: all medicinal herbs.

"Now, tell me why one so young is so far away from home? You are obviously no normal runaway, as they never go more than a mile or two out." The man's old grey eyes were creased with concern.

"It's gone," he said in a hoarse whisper.

"Gone? What's gone?" The elder leaned forward, the concern seeping into his every feature.

"Mother. Father. They're gone, too." The boy felt the burning behind his eyes and knew that if he hadn't already cried the last of his tears, they would be flowing out of him, again.

"Do they have names?" The boy nodded.

"Carla and Grisha. They…they were the doctors of our village." It felt so…_wrong_, coming from his mouth, to refer to his parents in the past tense.

The elder was silent for some time after that as he processed this information. When finally he did speak, it was in a quiet voice that held no pretense of a promise of what was to come.

"I am sorry to hear that, my child." The elder's voice rang deep with sorrow. "If…if there were ever a way I could undo what has been done, I would do it now. No child should be left without parents so early in life. What about the rest of your village? Would they not take you in?" The boy shook his head, slowly.

"I don't think they're there anymore…" he mumbled as he was dragged back to when he first arrived back at the clearing, before he went home…before he saw what he wished he had not had to see.

The elder did not say anything for a long time after that. He seemed to be deep in thought, even as he nodded along to whatever it was running through his head. It seemed as though lifetimes had passed before he resurfaced from his thoughts and addressed the child.

"Did you have a destination in mind? Some family to stay with until you can set out on your own?" he asked, though it was obvious he expected not. When the boy shook his head 'no', he nodded. "I didn't think so…. You could come back with me. I haven't got much to offer, but I do have food and a roof. You would be safe."

The boy's eyes went wide. Could he be serious? He nodded slowly, still cautious, but what other choice did he have?

"That's good." A relieved smile stretched across the man's lips. "We should probably get you to my village then. It's just a little ways in that direction." He pointed in the direction he had come. "Can you walk?"

The boy nodded, but as he rolled onto the balls of his feet into a crouch and started to extend his legs, he realized his mistake. His legs wobbled dangerously until they collapsed beneath him. He was braced for impact with the unforgiving earth, but it never came. Instead, the elder's hands had caught him just after he began to fall, and lowered him to the ground again.

"I'll take that as a no, then." His eyes wrinkled as he gave the boy a small smile. "No matter, I can carry you."

After another nod from the boy, the elder slung his basket over his shoulders, replacing the lid and strapping it into place. Then, he scooped the boy up so that he was sitting over his shoulders. The boy locked his legs loosely around his neck and he curled around the elder's head to keep his balance as they went.

The pair had started no more than fifty paces from the edge of the forest. They had made it less than half that distance before someone burst into the clearing, running at full speed.

"Hey!" he called, voice still distant but easily heard. There was an urgency woven into it that caused the elder to halt in his steps and turn to face the newcomer.

"A Runner?" the boy wondered aloud. He had never seen one, but had heard of them and knew a little about what their jobs were. His friends had, on more than one occasion, told him stories of the tales they had carried. It seemed to him that these people were never the bearers of pleasant news.

The Runner's paces grew steadily slower and shorter as he neared, until he was standing only a few steps away. He was panting, but that was quickly subsiding as the Runner regained his breath.

"Head home and alert your neighbors. Humans are riding."

The boy felt the elder stiffen beneath him as they both felt the fear that came with the mention of the ancient race. Though it was rare for anyone to come into contact with them, the child had often heard tales of their natures and he wanted nothing to do with them.

"How far off?" The elder asked, his voice surprisingly strong. The boy glanced around, afraid the humans would suddenly appear, pointed teeth bared, covered in the blood of his people and ready to slay him, too.

"They keep changing their direction, so it's hard to say for certain whether they'll come this way. If they stay on course though, you don't have much time to get away."

The elder nodded and the Runner took off again, continuing his duty to spread the warning. As soon as he ran a few paces, the elder put the child on the ground.

"Wait here," he demanded as he sprinted a safe distance away from the boy, heading toward the forest.

Just as the boy started doubting whether he was actually going to come back or just keep running and leave him helpless at the mercy of humans, the elder stopped. He was just at the edge of the tree line, digging in his pocket. Once he found what he was searching for, he withdrew his hand to display a small knife, which he then pressed into the pad of his thumb. His eyes met the child's just as a bolt of lightning snapped toward the skies, and a mist-shrouded giant stood in his place.

The giant knelt, leaning forward on his knees to reach for the boy, nudging the child toward him with slow and tiny twitches of his fingers. Amazed at the level of control, the boy nodded and started to stumble forward.

Suddenly, the boy heard thunder...only it wasn't thunder. It was quieter, rhythmic and rolling longer than any thunder he had heard.

The warrior titan gave him a more incessant nudge, and the boy tripped forward. He fell and watched the elder lower his hand over him, careful not to crush him just as the source of the thunder came into view.

The boy sat up and peered through a gap between the titan's fingers. From there he could see them: the humans. Terror coursed through him, and he fell back, settling around the elder's thumb. He silently wrapped his arms around the warm appendage, taking comfort in the heat and strength it held. He felt it twitch back and knew that this elder would not let these humans kill him. Not while he was alive.

At first, it had seemed like the humans had missed them. The boy drew a shaky breath and released it slowly as relief spread released the tension in his legs and shoulders. But then the thunder slowed and grew louder, as though more sources joined the existing ones. He squeezed his eyes shut, but that didn't help. The humans were advancing, unrelenting in their approach.

The boy heard them talking. He couldn't understand their words, but when they stopped, his heart did too. He couldn't move. He couldn't see beyond the protective fingers, but he knew the humans were going to attack the elder…probably killing him in the end. Humans were not the most merciful creatures.

When the thunder suddenly picked up speed and spread out, slowly circling around the two, his grip on the giant's thumb tightened. He curled up to the appendage in a defensive ball, much like a chipmunk in the crook of a tree, and sucked his lower lip between his teeth to keep from shouting. Maybe, just maybe, they'll leave them alone. Please, if there were ever a higher power watching over them, please let them make the humans go away.

Tiny explosions, the screech of metal on metal, unintelligible shouting…the sounds assaulted his ears as he trembled. The elder's hand remained steady, but through the fingers he witnessed the humans riding on deer-like creatures, large knives in each hand. He watched as things shot out from them and lifted them out of view, heard the sound of skin being sliced and expulsion of steam, and could only imagine what they were doing to the elder's giant form.

He felt and heard the giant's movements as he attempted to ward off the human enemies, but even without seeing it, he knew his protector was slow in his size and old age. He heard _happy _cries from the humans…and that couldn't be good. He felt as the thumb lifted a bit off the ground when the elder leaned to his side, but then it returned to it's position a moment later.

The worst happened after only a few seconds later. The boy could only watch as it played out. One human, the same who spotted him at first, lifted off his mount and attacked his defender's hand, quickly slicing through the muscles. The fingers forming his protective cage relaxed, nearly falling on him as the giant's arms were slice through as well.

He was left completely exposed.

Another human rode in on her mount, grabbing him by collar of his sweater and pulling him up with her. He fought her, he really did, but in doing so his arm collided with her blade. The pain was immense and he relented. The human didn't even seem to notice his injury as she was too focused on moving away from his protector to pay attention to much else.

Through eyes nearly shut from the searing pain, the child looked back at the giant, and saw was horrified at the damage he had taken. He was not dead, but he could have been if he hadn't somehow situated himself to where his neck was shielded by a relatively low tree branch. Instead, the monsters had resorted to cutting through every important muscle they could to ensure he would be unable to move for a while. Already, hot steam was exuding from his wounds as the elder's giant form healed.

The humans were already riding away from their victim, gaining distance on their deer-like mounts to pull up beside him and his captor. The one who spotted him first was the first to catch up, exchanging foreign words with the woman, before falling silent.

The last thing he saw before his vision went dark was one of the giant's eyes open in time to watch him get stolen away.

* * *

Dearest Reader,

Hello, again!

Thank you for reading this far into my Fanfiction. I do hope you are enjoying it. Yes, I do realize this chapter was rather short, but the next will be longer, I swear! (Update: and on time)

You all should really REALLY thank my beta for this chapter...I had a heck of a lot of corrections to make, so the quality all goes to them. (Update: as does the actual update, because in all honesty, this would probably still be sitting as a document on this site, never made available to the public until June 11th...)

If you feel so obliged, I would love to hear your thoughts/theories(though there is not much to go on)/questions/comments/concerns/observations/etc. so feel free to review or pm me, because I am open to either. :)

Thank you so very much for reading :D

Until next time

~Clumsy Owl

_**A very special thank you to all who REVIEWED, FAVORITED, and/or FOLLOWED! It really means a lot to me!**_

Guest: Thank you for your review ^^ It made me smile. Yes, the kid is Eren, and yes, he is outside the walls :) I hope you continue to enjoy the coming chapters.

Not So Human: I'm so sorry! I actually plan to keep this on a monthly update, so I understand if this fic becomes forgettable... And Hanji can really only speak some german, though that is going to be explained in Chapter 4. THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEW ^^

Pink Blood: Sorry about the bold lettering. It is really only there to keep me from getting confused (I'm quite prone to that, sooo...) And I AM REALLY SORRY ABOUT THE CLIFFHANGAR! I wrote this chapter within a week of the previous update :( I'm sorry! But thank you for your thoughts ^^

guest777: I'm really glad you like this story ^^ Haha all will be explained in due time, but I can't answer any of your questions like this just yet. Thank you for your review ^^


	4. Annex Chapter

This is the annex chapter. Everything will be sorted in alphabetical order based on the topic. It will be updated with each chapter as necessary. If you wish to have something clarified that is either not fully explained in the annex, or not included, feel free to pm me and I will do my best to explain without providing spoilers.

** DO NOT REVIEW TO THE ANNEX!**

It would get confusing for me -_-"

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**_Flares_** - In rainbow order (plus black):

Red- Titan spottedYellow- End of missionGreen- Change in directionBlue- RetreatPurple- Emergency of some kindBlack- Deviant Titan spotted

**_German words used:_**

· Kleingewachsen (tiny)

· Mensch (man)

· Scheißkerl (bastard)

· Arschloch (asshole)

**_Languages _**- I imagine the walls being set in Europe (I don't know why, I just always have), so I have the characters speaking European languages. The main language inside the walls is English (if you want to imagine it as something else while you read it in English, feel free), but there is a dead language that few know these days, and is spoken very rarely. That's the language spoke outside the walls, and I have it represented as German. This means that Levi, Hanji, Armin, etc. who all live within the walls speak English, but Hanji knows enough German to get by. Eren and the others who come from outside know next to no English, but are thoroughly fluent in the German language.

**_The names_** - in case anyone was wondering, I am going to go ahead and explain why I have yet to call any of the children by their names:

Because I thought of a cute element I want to add in at a later date, when the appropriate chapter comes up (will be specified at a later date)In the culture I am writing about for the titan population, children don't get names until they become a productive member of whatever clan or army or whatever they are a part of, or they do something of significance. When they finally earn their names, it gets assigned to them in one of two ways: The child's friends and family choose it and the name gets revealed to him/her at a ceremony.The child chooses the name himself and reveals it to everyone else. This is a method unfavorable because it shows either a level of independence a member of a clan or army or whatever is not supposed to have, or that the person is alone in the world.

**_OCs_** - The list of all the OCs (Original Characters) I have used so far in the story as of the most recent update:

**Clemens **- Hanji's squad leader. Since this is set in a time before the fall of Wall Maria, I thought it would be inappropriate to make her a squad leader right off the bat. Clemens is a calm minded soldier who, though does not actively take part in his second's antics toward Levi, does have a mild sense of humor. As squad leader, he was in charge of directing experiments whenever a test subject was available, and think up new experiments and questions when there wasn't. It was this that made Hanji beg and plead to be put under his command, and Hanji's own curiosity that caused him to choose her as his second. The two developed and "older brother, little sister" relationship**Edda** - One of the soldiers recruited by Hanji to help save Eren from the titan. She is tasked with the job of grabbing the Eren while Levi defends her, mainly because her horse is strong enough to carry two on its back.**Hal** - One of the soldiers upset over Levi's delaying of the food. He is the one Hanji called out and berated after he insulted someone Hanji deemed a new friend. Hanji and Hal also have a short history, mainly revolving around their squad leader, Clemens', decision to name Hanji his second, when she was his junior. This causes him to have a bad attitude around his comrade, but he is not a bad guy, simply bitter.**Kurt** - One of the soldiers recruited by Hanji to help save Eren from the titan. He is to attack from the Western side of the titan. He and Simon are best friends, each having grown up with the other and sharing many stolen hours away from school to play hide-and-seek in the district. They matured when they enlisted to become soldiers, but found other ways to have fun, mainly by telling tales of when the other was young.**Peppermint** - _see Peppermint_**Simon **- One of the soldiers recruited by Hanji to help save Eren from the titan. He is to attack from the Eastern side of the titan. He and Simon are best friends, each having grown up with the other and sharing many stolen hours away from school to play hide-and-seek in the district. They matured when they enlisted to become soldiers, but found other ways to have fun, mainly by telling tales of when the other was young.

**_Palomino: _**- A chestnut colored horse that has adopted a lighter shade of hair. Imagine a really light golden color (like the color of old paper) with a cream colored mane, and that would be Peppermint.

**_Peppermint_** - Levi named his horse Peppermint, which is a natural pest control ( .com). Levi hates people, and would much rather stay away from them if possible, so to him, people are like pests that he would rather keep away. This is not the horse he has in the anime, or the manga, so please don't yell at me.

**_Salal Berries_**- Not technically a berry, but rather swollen sepals of a blackish blue colour. Both the sepals and the leaves of the salal bush are edible. The sepals are sweet, but pulpy and nutty. Ripens between August and October.

**_Stripling_** - this is a derogatory term in this culture because it implies that the one it is directed at is both knowledgeable about life and its workings, and therefore inferior, and immature and unable to control oneself in a dignified manner.

**_Squads_** - A group of 8-16 people who work as a team divided up into 2-4 units.


End file.
